The hydration behavior and expansion properties of untreated and pulverized creatine anhydrate (CRA) tablets were studied under 60 and 75%RH at 25 degrees C by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). The tablet hardness of untreated and pulverized CRA tablets was significantly decreased after hydration. There was a linear relationship between the degree of hydration and the tablet hardness of untreated CRA tablets compressed at 1000 kg/cm2. In contrast, the relationship between the degree of hydration and the tablet hardness of pulverized CRA tablets was nonlinear. These results suggest that the reduction in hardness of pulverized CRA tablets does not depend solely on the hydration level of crystal water. PXRD analysis indicated that the diffraction pattern of the pulverized CRA powder was similar to that of the untreated CRA powder. However, the diffraction intensity of the pulverized CRA powder was slightly lower than that of the untreated CRA powder at high angle. The micropore radius of both untreated and pulverized CRA tablets was significantly increased after hydration, but analysis of the relationship between micropore radius and fractional hydration of crystal water showed that untreated CRA tablets were more affected than pulverized CRA tablets. Therefore, the reduction in tablet hardness depends not only on the hydration behavior but also on the crystal orientation of the CRA powder.